Steam pumping-engine.



No'. 643,732. Pat'dnted m. 20, 1900. B. o. RHODES.

sTEAm- PUMPING ENGINE.

- (Application filed Sept. 25, 1899.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shee't I.

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No. 643,732. Patented Feb. 20,1900. B. flz-BHODES.

STEAM-PUMPING ENGINE.

(Application filed. Sept. 25, 1899.)

( o Mo el.) rm 3 sheets-Sfieet 2.

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' B. 0. RHODES.

STEAM PUMPING ENGINE.

(Application filed Sept. 25, 1899.) v I (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shaet 3.

Y 7 I I jwazi an' 4L UNITE STATES PATENT OFFIGEt BERT 0. RHODES, OF HARVEY, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To FREDERICK o. AUSTIN,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STEAM PUMPING-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters meant. 643,732, dated February 26, 1906.

Application filed September 25, 1899. Serial No. 731,697. (No model.) i

To ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERT O. RHODES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harvey, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Steam Pumping-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention, broadly considered, relates to steam-engines, but is more particularly 1o applicable to steam-pumps, and especially to steam-pumps in which the exhaust from both the valve and the piston chambers is employed for heating the water.

The object of my invention, generally I 5 stated, is to provide an efficient and simple construction of steam-pump and to provide a pump of this character which will be serviceable and not liable to get out of order.

Certain special objects of my invention are to provide a steam-pump having a reversingvalve which is actuated by steam from the cylinder and to provide simple and efficient means for preventing a backtlow of steam from the valve-chamber; to provide a steam- 2 5 pump involving in its construction a steamactuated reversing-valve which is actuated by steam taken from the cylinder and involving also one or more steam-actuated valve devices for controlling the admission 0 and exhaust of steam to and from the valvechamber; to provide a steam-pump in which the exhaust from both the valve and the piston chambers may be utilized for heating the water,butin which the partial vacuum formed 5 by thus employing the exhaust will not operate to center or prematurely shift the reversing-valve and in which the formation of such vacuum will not interfere with the proper working of the pump; to provide a pump in which the exhaust from both the valve and the piston chambers may be utilized for heating the water, and to'provide a couple of steam-actuated check-valves for preventing the vacuum which may be formed by thus employing the exhaust from extending to the steam-chest; to provide a construction of steampump involving a deckplate which is arranged intermediate of the cylinder and steamchest and which is equipped with steam-actuated valve devices for controlling the supply and exhaust of steam to and from the steam-actuated reversing-valve, and to provide certain details and features of improvement tending to increase the general efficiency and to render a pump of this character serviceable and thoroughly reliable.

To the. attainment of the foregoing and other useful ends my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section, of a steam-pump embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the reversingvalve in the other position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the steam-chest and a portion of the cylinder as illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the cylinder and steam-chest on line m 00 in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan of the deck-plate which is arranged between the cylinder and steam-chest. Fig. 6 illustrates a preferred way of mounting the valves in the deck-plate.

The steam-pump thus illustrated comprises a piston-cylinderA, a steam-chest B, a double-headed or spool-shaped piston G, a steamactuated reversing-valve D, and a ported deck E, it being understood that the balance of the pump, which is shown in side elevation, maybe constructed in any suitable manner and equipped with valves, & c., for controlling the flow of the water set in motion by the usual plunger on the end of the piston-rod c. A couple of short rods or pins F are also provided and arranged to work through stuffing boxes in the ends of the steam-chest B, and with these the reversingvalt e can be manually shifted or operated whenever occasion requires. Steam is primarily admitted to the pump through a pipe 1 and is exhausted from the cylinder by way of a passage 2. The final escape of the exhaust from the passage 2 is, however, controlled by a valve 3, and the arrangement is such that the exhaust can either be allowed to escape directly into the atmosphere or be turned into the water for the purpose of heat ing the latter. Any suitable form of valve may be employed for this purpose.

The piston C,which is, as previously stated, double-headed or spool-shaped in form, is arranged for reciprocation within the cylinder A, and theannular recess or chamber formed by reducing its middle portion is adapted to afiord an exhaust-chamber into which the exhaust from both piston chamber and reversing-valve is conducted prior to its ultimate escape through the passage 2. The cylinder is provided with a couple of passages4 and 5, which lead from the steam-chest to the opposite ends of the piston chamber and which are adapted to serve alternately as supply and exhaust ports. An exhaust-passage (5 is also provided, and at this juncture it will be seen that both the latter and the two passages 4 and 5 are extended upwardly and entirely through the deck-plate E. Further communication between the valve and piston chambers is afforded by a couple of passages 7 and 8, which also extend through the said deck-plate and which are crossedthat is to say, are arranged in such manner that the duct or passage 7 conducts steam from the piston-chamber to the right-hand end of the valve-chamber, while the duct or passage 8 conducts steam from the pistonchamber to the left-hand end of the valvechamber-and each of these two passages thus serve alternately as supply and exhaust ports. In this way it will be seen that the piston is actuated by steam admitted from the steamchest, while the reversing-valve is actuated by steam taken from the piston-chamber. The action of the piston is controlled by the valve and the action of the latter is controlled by the piston, each serving as a reversing-valve for the other, and, furthermore, it will be seen that the exhaust from both valve and piston is conducted to the chamber or recess between the two heads or flanges c c of the piston, and consequently that all steam admitted through the pipe 1, whether it be employed in actuating the valve or in driving the piston, is ultimately exhausted through the common exhaust-passage 2.

The deck-plate E, which is, it will be observed, arranged between the cylinder and steam-chest, is ported in the manner previously described and in addition thereto is provided with a couple of steam-actuated valve devices for controlling the passage of steam through the ports or ducts 7 and 8. Each of these said valve devices preferably comprises a check-valve G and an actuatingplug H. The check-valves rise from their seats 9 to permit steam to enter the end portions 1) of the valve-chamber, but close or drop to their seats to prevent a backflow of steam from such chamber. The upper portion of each plug is formed with a neck which is bored to receive the stem 9 of the valve G. The relative formation of the plugs and the recesses within which they are confined is such that the plugs are capable of a limited amount of vertical play or movement. It will be observed that the two ducts 7 and 8 both lead to and open into the valve-recesses at points immediately below the check-valves G--that is to say, permit steam to enter between the check-valves G and the actuatingplugs H-and it will also be seen that these two ducts are provided, respectively, with branches 7 and 8, which lead to small recesses formed immediately below the said plugs. Thus while the duct 7 leads to the check-valve of one valve device its branch 7 leads to the actuating-plug of the other valve device, and this is of course also true of the duct 8. In this way, therefore, an admission of steam from the cylinder to either of the ducts 7 and 8 will operate to open or lift both check-valves, the one opening to permit an admission of steam to one end of the valve chamber and the other opening to permit an exhausting of the steam from the other end of said chamber. The check-valves open or lift simultaneously; but the plugs rise alternately. Each time a plug rises it lifts or actuates the adjacent check-valve. An admission of steam, for instance, to the duct 7 will cause the right-hand check-valve to rise and permit the steam to enter at the rigl1t-hand end of the valve-chamber, the steam then operating to shift the reversing-valve to the left, and such admission of steam to the duct 7 will, in addition thereto, cause the left-hand plug and check-valve to rise and by opening the duct 8 permit the steam at the left of the reversing-valve to exhaust into the recess in the piston.

The steam-actuated reversing-valve D is preferably provided at its ends with heads or disks d, which fit and work within the cylindric end portions 1) of the steam-chest B. This valve is also provided with a spoolshaped central portion at, which carries the fiat-faced slide-valve D, and the lower wall of the steam-chest is cut away to provide an opening through which the valve D may slide upon the upper surface of the deck-plate E. The under side of the slide-valve D is provided with the usual recess or cavity (1*, and in this way a reciprocation of the valve upon the valve-seat atforded by the upper surface of the deck-plate will of course effect the desired reciprocation of the piston.

Thus constructed, the operation of my invention is as follows: In Fig. 1 the valve is at the right, and consequently steam has entered the cylinder through port 4 and has driven the piston to the extreme right, the steam at the right of the piston having been exhausted through ports 5 and 6, the recess or chamber formed in the piston, and the final exhaust-passage 2. In this position the piston is admitting steam through the passage 7 to the valve-chamber, the right-hand check-valve rising promptly to permit the steam to enter at the right of the valve D. Such admission of steam to the passage 7 also operates to lift the left-hand plug and checkvalve and by thus opening the duct 8 to establish communication between the space at the left of the valve and the exhaust-chamber in the piston. The steam now entering at the right of the valve D will drive the lat ter to the left, and the steam at the left of the valve will exhaust through the passage 8. In this way the exhaust from both the valve and piston chambers is conducted to the recess in the piston and from there permitted to escape through the common exhaust-passage 2. The shifting of the valve to the left serves to open port 5 and also to exhaust the steam from the left of the piston by coupling up ports 4 and 6. (See Fig. 2.) The valve 3, as previously stated, can be adjusted so as to permit the exhaust to escape and mingle with the water. By thus turning the exhaust into the water a partial vacuum will, as a result of condensation, be formed within the duct 2 and also in the recess in the piston and the space at the left of the latter. A vacuum thus formed within the cylinder would, without the check-valves-G, tend to at once draw or shift the valve D to a central position, and in this way block the admission of steam to the right of the piston; but by providing check-valves which prevent a backliow of steam from the valve-chamber the reversingvalve will be enabled to retain its position at the left, for the reason that the creation of a partial vacuum within the cylinder can have no other effect than to simply close the checkvalves and to thus render a reduction of pressure at the right of the valve impossible until the piston reaches the limit of its stroke to the left. In other words, I provide a pump in which the exhaust can be employed to heat the water; but at the same time I make provision for preventing the vacuum from extending to the chamber for the valve. In Fig. 2 the steam is, as stated, entering the cylinder byway of port 5, and such admission will drive the piston to the left. The shifting of the piston to the left will permit steam to pass from the cylinder through port 8 to the left of the valve and will also connect port 7 with the exhaust-passage 2. Such admission of steam to the left of the valve will drive the latter to the right, thereby permitting steam to enter at the left of the piston and in this way returning both the valve and the piston to their original positions, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Each check-valve and its actuating-plug constitute a steam-actuated valve device for controlling the admission and exhaust of steam to and from one end of the valve-chamber, and while the construction of this device as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is effective I prefer, with a view to securing economy of manufacture and also a steadier acseat for the check-valve and also that the ar-.

rangement is such that the steam from the duct 8 passes beneath the check-valve and then enters the valve-chamber by way of a short duct 8', the upward movement of the check-valve being limited by the lower wall of the steam-chest. In this way a better action of the check-valves is insured, and the arrangement has the further advantage of bringing these steam-actuated valve devices wholly within the metal of the removable deck-plate E. It is obvious, however, that various forms of valve devices may be employed for this purpose, and for this reason I do not limit myself to the devices shown and described; but by making the deck-plate removable the same can of course be attached or removed at will and according to the character of the work.

WVhat I claim as my invention is 1. A steam-pump comprisinga suitable piston and piston-cylinder, and a steam-chest inclosing a steam-actuated valve, the casing being provided with suitable ports or passages for admitting and exhausting the steam to and from the piston-cylinder, and also to and from the steam-actuated valve, and the admission and exhaust passages leading from the said steam-actuated valve being fitted with check-valves, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a steam-engine, a steam-actuated valve for controlling the admission and exhaust to and from the piston-chamber, an engine-casing having suitable ports or passages for admitting and exhausting the steam to and from the piston-cylinder, and also to and from the steam-actuated valve, a water or condensing chamber into which the exhaust is conducted, and check-valves arranged intermediate of the steam-actuated valve and the said water or condensing chamber, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a steam-pump in which the exhaust can be turned into the Water, and in which the reversing-valve is actuated by steam from the piston -chamber, a plurality of checkvalves arranged intermediate of such pistonchamber 7 and steam actuated valve, said check-valves opening to permit the exhaust to escape from the chamber of the steam-actuated reversing-valve.

4. In a steam-pump in which the exhaust can be employed to heat the water, the combination of the piston and piston-chamber, a reversing-valve actuated by steam from the piston-chamber, and a couple of steam-actuated check-valves arranged intermediate of the piston-chamber and reversing-valve and adapted to control the admission and exhaust of steam to and from the latter.

5. In a steam-pump in which .the exhaust can be employed to heat the Water, a piston and piston-chamber, a reVersing-Vahe actuated by steam from the piston-chamber, and a deck-plate arranged between the cylinder and valvechest and provided with supply and exhaust passages and also with check-valves for controlling the admission and exhaust of steam to and from the reversing-Valve.

6. In an engine, the combination of a pis ton and piston-chamber, a reversing-valve actuated by steam from the piston-chamber, and a ported deck-plate removably arranged between the cylinder and valve-chest and provided with steam-actuated check-valves, substantially as and for the purpose described. I

7. In a steam-pump, and in combination with a piston, cylinder and steam-actuated valve, a removable ported deck-plate provided with steam-actuated check-valves, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a steam-pump in which the exhaust can be employed to heat the Water, and in combination with a cylinder, steam-chest, piston and steam-actuated reversing-valve, a ported deck-plate arranged between the cylinder and steam-chest and provided with steam-actuated valve devices for controlling the admission and exhaust of steam to and from the reversing-valve, each steam-actuated valve device consisting of a check-valve and an actuating-plug for lifting such checkvalve.

9. In a steam-pump in which the exhaust can be employed to heat the Water, and in which the reversing-valve is actuated by steam from the piston-chamber, the combination of a cylinder, steam-chest, piston, steam-actuated reversing-valve, and a couple of steamactuated valve devices arranged intermediate of the cylinder and steam-chest and adapted to control the admission and exhaust of steam to and from the said reversing-valve, each of said valve devices consisting of a check-valve and an actuating-plug for raising such checkvalve, the casing being provided With a couple of passages each of which leads from the pistonchamber to the check-valve of one of said valve devices, and each of said passages having a branch which leads to the actuating- 4o plug of the other valve device.

BERT O. RHODES.

Witnesses:

AGNES A. DEVINE, A. F. DURAND. 

